[عربي سعودي]

Nicolas Sarkozy 'told not to take Carla Bruni to Saudi'
January 9, 2008
David Byers and agencies

Nicolas Sarkozy is set to leave his girlfriend Carla Bruni at home when he visits Saudi Arabia this weekend after a specific request from the Islamic kingdom.

A day after the President announced his two-month-old relationship with the former supermodel was "serious" and refused to dismiss reports of marriage, it emerged that Saudi government officials had requested Miss Bruni not accompany him on Sunday.

Under the strict interpretation of Islamic law enforced in Saudi Arabia, members of the opposite sex are not permitted to be alone together unless they are married or related. Westerners are expected to abide by the rules in public and many hotels will not permit unmarried Western couples to share a room.

A Saudi diplomat was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that Mr Sarkozy had been asked to leave Miss Bruni behind for "religious reasons" when he visits the kingdom.


Mr Sarkozy, who divorced his wife Cecilia in October, has flaunted
his relationship with Miss Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan. However, according to Egyptian media reports, the French President was criticised by officials for sharing a room with Miss Bruni, 39, while in the country.

Yesterday, the French President broke with an age of presidential decorum by discussing his relationship while holding a press conference at the Elysee Palace.

Saying he wanted to "break with the deplorable tradition in our country of hypocrisy and lies" about the President's relationships, Mr Sarkozy told journalists that the media would not "set the date" of his wedding.

"It is serious," he added. "There are strong chances that you will hear about it [the wedding] when it has already happened."

In vowing to be transparent, Mr Sarkozy alluded to Francois Mitterrand, the former President, who was widely known to have secretly kept his mistress and their daughter, as well as his official family, at state expense.

Revelations about Mr Sarkozy's marriage came after Miss Bruni’s mother, Marisa Tedeschi Bruni, who accompanied Sarkozy on a trip to the Vatican last month, was quoted as saying the president had asked for her daughter’s hand and that she had gladly agreed.

"If Carla becomes the first lady of France, she must keep space and time for herself to write," she was quoted as saying. "Carla is living an authentic love story. I think that they make a good couple."

However Mr Sarkozy's mother appeared far less keen on the relationship, advising him to enjoy a fruitful lovelife but steer clear of marriage.

"You know, in his job he will be spoilt for choice," Andree Sarkozy said, speaking to a celebrity magazine last month. "But I hope that no one will get married again. I've had enough of brides."

As headlines concerning the President's relationship continued, Mr Sarkozy's personal ratings have dipped below 50 per cent for the first time since his election last year, with some voters believed to be concerned at "Speedy Sarko's" whirlwind relationship only weeks after his divorce, as well as his handling of the economy.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3159679.ece